How to take an idea and find the perfect words to define it
Welcome to today’s issue of Conversion Alchemy Journal. If you received this from a friend and enjoy it, subscribe here.
I've just wrapped up one of the biggest projects I've ever worked on. And I'm so effin proud of it.
For the past 3 months I've been working with Moz to help them reposition their 2 key products, Moz Pro and Moz API. We've worked on their product overview pages but the copy was the least of it.
What I loved was the positionig and messaging work, the cross-functional collaboration with the Moz marketing, product and exec teams, and their willingness to trust my process.
It reminded me of what I recently saw Austin Rief say on Twitter:
The best writing takes an idea that a community feels deeply but can't quite articulate, and finds the perfect words to define it.
This is message-market fit. And it's what I believe I helped the guys at Moz with.
Their amazing team knew a lot about the products, a lot about the audiences and ICPs, and a lot about the trajectory the company is taking. But they needed help articulating it. They needed help finding the perfect words to connect with the customers they are working so hard to help.
And that's what a lot of companies struggle with when it comes to differentiating their message: they can't find the words.
But also, they think words alone will convert and they miss the "why" behind it.
We can find this "why" with what I call Conversion Alchemy: the combination of conversion copywriting, UX design and decision-making psychology, to bridge the gap between product and customers. So we can join the conversation already happening inside their heads.
I've learned a lot in the process, but here's three lessons from applying Converson Alchemy on this project:
- Your customers won’t always shout out why they choose you, you have to go and ask them. And often they won't even be able to voice it clearly. It's your job to connect the dots between your value and their perception.
- You don't have to do everything differently to be different Your approach and the combination of your uniquenesses can make you stand out as the go-to for the right people.
- Getting to message-market fit requires setting aside your ego and expectations. It’s an outside-in process, not inside-out. First, you find the message that resonates, and only then do you put it out. Too many companies try to fit a square message into a round hole.
Lots more I'm thinking about, but I'll leave it here for now.
Case study coming soon!
📚 Copywriting nuggets in the wild
Content of the week: Why AI sucks with numbers and how it will get better (much better) soon
If you've wondered why ChatGPT always messes up those quantitative analyses you ask it for, this article explains it. Apparently OpenAI is working on a fix, and it will be a big turning point I think.
The reason is that along with features like advanced voice mode for ChatGPT, who understands your voice and the emotional tones underneath it instead of merely the transcription of what you say, we're getting closer and closer to models who are being trained in real time. In other words, our conversations with AI are becoming more and more like conversations with humans, where the two "organisms" can understand each other on the fly, including non-verbal cues.
Strawberry is a language model trained through “process supervision. Process supervision means that during training, a model is rewarded for correctly moving through each reasoning step that will lead it to the answer. By comparison, most of today’s language models are trained via “outcome supervision.” They’re only rewarded if they get the answer right.
Powerful stuff.
Swipe file: Plain products positioned to perfection
I love it when a company has a hyper clear focus, market and message. They are the ones who make one thing extremely well. Part of it is their product, but a lot of it has to do with their marketing.
I just bought a pack of 6 t-shirts from True Classic. It's one of the first times I buy an Instagram ad. Why?
They hit my pain points to perfection: I'm tired of either having to choose expensive t-shirts that look good, or cheap ones that fool you into believing they fit, but shrink into baby size after one wash. True Classic positioned themselves right in between.
And they made it fun! Check out this ad 👇
For similar examples of companies with a strong and crystal clear positioning, dig into Liquid Death & Black Rifle Coffee.
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Work with me on your copy
Let's get more customers →
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✅ Don't miss it
Funnels & Coffee
This week I wanted to share a pretty cool resource I've stumbled on. It's the Funnels & Coffee newsletter. What is it about and what can you learn?
Everyone talks about the importance of traffic 🥱 But once you get enough eyballs on your content, how do you convert them? Twice a week Funnels & Coffee brings you funnel tips & resources - backed by data.
🤔 Thought of the week
"Big-picture thinkers realize there is a world out there besides their own, and they make an effort to get outside of themselves and see other people’s worlds through their eyes. It’s hard to see the picture while inside the frame"
John C. Maxwell, How Successful People Think
The act of thinking clearer and bigger is a selfless attempt at understanding other perspectives. You have to sacrifice your own view point to see what others see.
Have a great weekend!
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Chris Silvestri
Founder, Conversion Alchemy
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🙌🏻 Let’s be friends (unless you’re a stalker)
